Ribery Will Be Banned If He Refuses To Play For France : Platini

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UEFA president Michel Platini has insisted that Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery will face ban if he refuses to represent France despite retirement.

Michel Platini has once again stirred up controversy with his comments about Franck Ribery. According to the former French international, it is not up to the players to decide whether they want to represent their nation or not. Platini insisted that Ribery will face ban if he decides against playing for France despite announcing his international retirement.

Franck Ribery earned his first cap for the French national team in 2006 and since then the 31-year-old has made 81 appearances for Les Bleus. The Bayern Munich star was included in the World Cup squad for Brazil by Didier Deschamps, but later had to pull out due to injury. Ribery also went on to declare his retirement for international football, citing ‘personal’ reasons.

Despite his absence, France gave a good account of themselves and reached the Quarter-final stage of the tournament in Brazil. They are now preparing to host the 2016 European Championship with renewed optimism and faith on the young and talented French squad. But according to former French international Michel Platini, Franck Ribery should also be a part of the squad and insists that it is not up to the player to decide whether he wants to represent his nation.

Ribery, who will turn 33 during the European Championship, will face ban from club football if he refuses to play for France despite being called up for the national, Platini claimed.

“If Deschamps calls him up, then he has to come to the national team.

“That’s written in the FIFA statutes. If he doesn’t report for duty, then he would be banned for three matches for Bayern Munich.

“It is not the player’s decision whether he represents his country, it’s the decision of the coach.